Catholics Take to the Streets in the Diocese of Brooklyn for the Feast of Corpus Christi

By Paula Katinas

ASTORIA — The first Mass held at what was then the newly established Parish of Most Precious Blood took place on the Feast of Corpus Christi in 1922. One hundred years later, Bishop Robert Brennan came to the Astoria parish to celebrate the feast and to remind the faithful of the importance of recognizing Jesus Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.

The Feast of Corpus Christi 2022, which took place on Sunday, June 19, came at a time when large numbers of U.S. Catholics — nearly two-thirds, according to one national poll — do not believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist but instead, think the bread and wine distributed at Mass are only symbols and nothing more.

Bishop Brennan is seeking to correct that misunderstanding and to help wavering Catholics return to the faith. In his view, it starts with accepting the reality of the Eucharist.

“Encountering Jesus is what it is to be in this church,” he said. “The Eucharist is the heart and soul of it all.”

Earlier, Bishop Brennan told The Tablet that Jesus isn’t a figure from the distant past but is very much present in today’s world. “The Lord Jesus is alive and walks among us today,” he said. “Through the Eucharist, he accomplishes for us exactly what he did for the crowd in the Gospel. He teaches us about the Kingdom of God. He heals us and he feeds us.”

The Mass, which concluded with a procession through the streets of Astoria in which Bishop Brennan carried the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance, also celebrated the parish’s centennial. In a tribute to the multicultural community the parish serves, the hymns and readings were conducted in English, Spanish, Croatian and Tagalog.

Many people sitting in the pews on Sunday said they were proud of their vibrant parish.

Maria Bueso, who has been attending Mass at Most Precious Blood for 50 years, half the parish’s existence, described it as a “wonderful community of faith” where everyone is made to feel at home. She credited Father Vedran Kirincic, the parish administrator, with fostering a positive atmosphere.

“I’ve been coming to church here since 1968, when I came to America from Cuba. It is a privilege to come here,” said Victoria Ferrera.

Ferrera added that she is saddened by the lack of understanding on the part of many Catholics about the true nature of the Eucharist. “But I think little by little, if we teach people and we continue to do so, they will come around,” she said.

Catholic News Headlines for Friday, 06/17/22

Meet the lucky winner of this year’s Tablet COVID Relief Fundraiser.

Dozens of family members and police officers gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Bensonhurst Wednesday as the NYPD held the 20th annual Brooklyn South Memorial Mass.

It’s being called the National Eucharistic Revival and it’s a three-year initiative launching on Corpus Christi Sunday.

Knee Pains Force Pope Francis to Sit Out Feast of Corpus Christi Celebrations

Currents News Staff

Hundreds of pilgrims gathered at St. Peter’s Basilica to participate in the procession and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Archpriest of the Basilica, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, was the main celebrant. In his homily, he said that faith and a change of attitude are necessary in order to accomplish what Jesus asks of us.

Unfortunately, Pope Francis was unable to preside at this year’s Corpus Christi Mass or take part in the procession. On Monday, the Holy Father informed the public that he will not be celebrating the Eucharist for this year’s holiday due to his ongoing knee pain.

For the past two years, the solemnity inside St. Peter’s Basilica has been met with limited attendance and no procession due to the pandemic.

As Senators Negotiating a Gun Safety Bill Missed Their Self-Imposed Deadline, a Shooter Opened Fire at a Church

Currents News Staff

Another community is grieving after another deadly shooting. Police say a lone suspect entered a small group church meeting and opened fire near Birmingham, Alabama yesterday evening killing at least two people. That happened to occur around the same time Senators negotiating a gun safety bill missed their self-imposed deadline.

“A lot of people are going to be hurting,” said Rev. Kelley Hudlow from the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. “What we need is this community to do what it’s really good at, which is coming together to take care of each other.”

Senators are pausing their gun safety talks for the weekend. This is the latest shooting showcasing the continuing threat of violence.

“I promise that, once the text is done,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, “I will put it on the floor as soon as possible.”

Now it’s unclear if the Senate will be able to vote on gun safety next week. The framework has enough Republican support to pass the Senate if lawmakers agree to the bill’s details.

“I think we’re in a better place in terms of the grants to states that have, uh, crisis intervention programs,” said Texas Sen. John Cornyn.

One sticking point is whether states have to spend Red Flag Law funding on red flag laws. Those prevent people considered a risk from having firearms. Another involves the “Boyfriend Loophole” which is about whether an unmarried partner can have guns if found guilty of violence against a dating partner.

“If there’s a little give on both sides,” said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, “we can get it done.”

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday, 6/16/22

It’s a three year initiative to restore Catholics’ faith in the Eucharist – why it’s needed right now.

The NYPD Hate Crimes Unit is investigating a disturbing message scrawled on the side of Catholic Charities in Brooklyn.

The Feast of Corpus Christi is underway at the Vatican – why Pope Francis didn’t preside over it.

Two Americans Have Gone Missing After Fighting Alongside Ukrainian Soldiers

Currents News Staff

They’ve been missing for nearly a week now: two Alabama natives fighting alongside Ukrainian forces just north of Kharkiv vanished during a chaotic battle with Russian forces on June 9.

The mother of one of the missing men says they are presumed to be prisoners of war, but that has not been confirmed.

“If they’re together, Andy and Alex, we don’t want one to come home without the other,” said Bunny Drueke, the mother of one of the Americans.

The fiance of one of the men said she just wants her partner back safely.

“I know it’s not a great situation,” said Joy Black, the fiancé of an American who was feared captured by Russian forces. “But I’m still very proud of him and I just want to see him back safely.”

Meanwhile in Washington, the Defense Department has unveiled a new $1 billion-dollar assistance package they’re sending to Ukraine to help fight the Russian invasion..

“That includes a drawdown of security assistance valued up to $350 million,” said John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary. “That’s where the Department of Defense pulls from their stocks, as well as $650 million in equipment that’s provided to the Ukraine security assistance initiative funds. That’s where the Pentagon will go out and procure material, according to that amount, to then just provide directly to Ukraine. So the two different buckets of that billion dollars.”

A senior U.S. Defense official believes that the latest Ukrainian aid package will arrive in time to make a “significant difference” on the battlefield, as the war is believed to be in the phase where Russia will continue to only make incremental gains “for a while.”

“This is the 12th time that President Biden has authorized presidential drawdowns to help Ukraine defend its democracy,” said Kirby. “And that brings the total amount of security assistance that we provided to Ukraine to approximately $5.6 billion – since Russia launched its assault.”

How The Federal Reserve’s Hike In Interest Rates Could Affect Big Consumer Purchases

Currents News Staff

With prices surging and Americans struggling to keep up, the Federal Reserve took a bold step to tame what seems like relentless inflation by raising interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point.

It’s the biggest hike in nearly three decades.

“We at the Fed understand the hardship that high inflation is causing,” said the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. “We’re strongly committed to bringing inflation back down. And we’re moving expeditiously to do so.”

In fact, Powell suggested that the government won’t likely make a habit of being this aggressive with interest-rate hikes in the future. But he didn’t rule out another significant increase in the coming months.

When it raised interest rates by 0.5% last month, the Fed expected that would bring inflation down. But it kept climbing to a 40-year high.

“It was quite eye-catching and we noticed that,” Powell said.

This rate-hike will affect millions of American households and businesses by pushing up the cost of borrowing for major purchases. David Wilcox from the Peterson Institute for International Economics said it will affect first-time homebuyers.

“For people who are first-time homebuyers looking to get that mortgage right now, that’s going to become much more difficult than it would have, a few months ago,” said Wilcox. “People who are in the market to purchase a car are going to have higher borrowing rates today, than they did three months ago.”

He said it was a strong move by the Fed.

“What it could turn out to be,” Wilcox said, “is that a little more action today portends a little less in the future. A little less increase in interest rates, in order to get the inflation job done.”

National Eucharistic Revival Aims to ‘Light a Fire’ and Renew Devotion and Belief in the Eucharist

The National Eucharistic Revival is a three-year campaign that has just kicked off around the country, including right here in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

The aim is to reinforce the core Catholic dogma that the bread and wine at Mass really do become Christ’s body and blood.

Father Carlos Velasquez is one of the main players in this revival in the Diocese of Brooklyn and he joins Currents News to discuss the goals of the National Eucharistic Revival.

Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy Hosts Basketball Tournament to Raise Money for Student Diagnosed with Cancer

The students at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy in Brooklyn held a basketball tournament Tuesday to raise awareness for cancer

The fundraiser was held on behalf of 7th grader Marco Wilen who was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

He’s also a huge fan of basketball.

The students also raffled off a basket they’ve put together and they held a special sale of desserts and treats.

Bishop Brennan Leads Brooklyn South Memorial Mass Commemorating NYPD’s Fallen Heroes

Currents News Staff

Hundreds of people gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn for the NYPD’s Brooklyn South Memorial Mass.

Bishop Robert Brennan was the main celebrant and was joined by NYPD chaplains Msgrs. Robert Romano and David Cassato. The Mass was dedicated to the officers killed in the line of duty within the confines of southern Brooklyn.

“May God bless and protect you every single day of your service,” Bishop Brennan said, “and watch over not only you but all of your families.”

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell was also in attendance. According to Assistant Chief Michael Kemper, Wednesday’s memorial Mass honored a total of 123 officers.